1 P aul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

This letter is from Paul. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ and a missionary chosen by God to preach His Good News.

2 w hich he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

The Good News was promised long ago by God’s early preachers in His Holy Writings.

3 c oncerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,

It tells of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was born as a person in the flesh through the family of King David.

4 w ho was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead.

5 t hrough whom we received grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake;

Jesus has given us His loving-favor and has made us His missionaries. We are to preach to the people of all nations that they should obey Him and put their trust in Him.

6 a mong whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ;

You have been chosen to belong to Jesus Christ also.

7 t o all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So I write to all of you in the city of Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be set apart for Himself. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you His loving-favor and peace.

8 F irst, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

First of all, I keep thanking my God, through Jesus Christ, for all of you. This is because the whole world knows of your faith in Christ.

9 F or God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

God knows how I work for Him. He knows how I preach with all my heart the Good News about His Son. He knows how I always pray for you.

10 r equesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.

I pray that I might be able to visit you, if God wants me to.

11 F or I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established;

I want to see you so I can share some special gift of the Holy Spirit with you. It will make you strong.

12 t hat is, that I with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Both of us need help. I can help make your faith strong and you can do the same for me. We need each other.

13 N ow I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Christian brothers, many times I have wanted to visit you. Something has kept me from going until now. I have wanted to lead some of you to Christ also, as I have done in other places where they did not know God.

14 I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.

I must help the people who have had a chance to hear the Good News and those who have not. I must help those with much learning and those who have never learned from books.

15 S o, as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.

So I want to preach the Good News to you who live in Rome also.

16 F or I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.

I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power of God. It is the way He saves men from the punishment of their sins if they put their trust in Him. It is for the Jew first and for all other people also.

17 F or in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”

The Good News tells us we are made right with God by faith in Him. Then, by faith we live that new life through Him. The Holy Writings say, “A man right with God lives by faith.”

18 F or the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

We see the anger of God coming down from heaven against all the sins of men. These sinful men keep the truth from being known.

19 b ecause that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.

Men know about God. He has made it plain to them.

20 F or the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.

Men cannot say they do not know about God. From the beginning of the world, men could see what God is like through the things He has made. This shows His power that lasts forever. It shows that He is God.

21 B ecause, knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

They did know God, but they did not honor Him as God. They were not thankful to Him and thought only of foolish things. Their foolish minds became dark.

22 P rofessing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

They said that they were wise, but they showed how foolish they were.

23 a nd traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

They gave honor to false gods that looked like people who can die and to birds and animals and snakes. This honor belongs to God Who can never die.

24 T herefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves,

So God let them follow the desires of their sinful hearts. They did sinful things among themselves with their bodies.

25 w ho exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and cared for what God made instead of worshiping the God Who made it. He is the One Who is to receive honor and thanks forever. Let it be so.

26 F or this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature.

Because of this, God let them follow their sinful desires which lead to shame. Women used their bodies in ways God had not planned.

27 L ikewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.

In the same way, men left the right use of women’s bodies. They did sex sins with other men. They received for themselves the punishment that was coming to them for their sin.

28 E ven as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

Because they would not keep God in their thoughts anymore, He gave them up. Their minds were sinful and they wanted only to do things they should not do.

29 b eing filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

They are full of everything that is sinful and want things that belong to others. They hate people and are jealous. They kill other people. They fight and lie. They do not like other people and talk against them.

30 b ackbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

They talk about people, and they hate God. They are filled with pride and tell of all the good they do. They think of new ways to sin. They do not obey their parents.

31 w ithout understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;

They are not able to understand. They do not do what they say they will do. They have no love and no loving-pity.

32 w ho, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

They know God has said that all who do such things should die. But they keep on doing these things and are happy when others do them also.